Well, call me crazy, but I'm going to try my hand at another challenge story I might be insane, but I had the inspiration for this story and I thought I should just post it before I lost my nerve. I know the start is very short but I hope it might just grab your attention. Thankyou for reading!

PG13

"Jack, listen to me!" Sue said, pulling Jack to a stop with her hand. He jerked his arm away, immediately running a shaking hand over his forehead. "Are you listening?" Sue asked after a long sigh. He shrugged and she was surprised to see the tears in his eyes. "Jack," She started again, her tone becoming less intense. "I can do this. You don't need to worry about me."

Jack turned away after rolling his eyes. "Sue, how would you feel if I was the one going in on this - alone?" He asked, emphazing the fact that she would be alone.

"Jack, I'm not going to be alone."

"Close enough. But.. what if something happens? What if we can't get in there on time? What if.."

"Enough of the what if's." Sue said, waving her hands. Jack stopped, looking into her eyes as if searching for an answer - there was none. "I'm doing it, Jack. And you can't stop me."

Jack shook his head then turned and stalked out of the bullpen, leaving Sue in the room, alone and to her own thoughts.

Ok, Tracy. You have my full attention!

Please post more soon.

Ornella

Tracy

Starting off with an argument, whew! How could we not be reeled in?

Lynn

Tracy, I am kinda worried

My you don't waste any time, do you? And I guess Jack is stewing over something case oriented and dangerous? And Sue is being terribly stubborn like only she knows how to be?

kav

That about covers my thoughts as well. They are just being "Jack and Sue". Eager to see some more!

intriguing start

cath

What has Sue gotten herself into this time that has Jack so upset...


~laura michelle~

sounds fantastic except for the row
between themto start with but more soon tracy please Lin

What is Sue doing by going alone? doesnt always bad things happen to those who goes alone? WITHOUT JACK NO LESS


Great story got me hooked from the start

~Dark Angelus~

Strong start Tracy! I'm hooked.
This part got to me. It shows just how serious the situation is....or at least how serious Jack believes it is.

More soon please

Thankyou all so very much for the support! I really appreciate it. This next post really doesn't have much meaning but it will all make sense sooner or later. Thankyou, again, for reading!

Sue and Lucy entered the bullpen and Jack looked up from his desk with a sideways smile.

"Are you sure you're not going to go?" Lucy asked which immediately struck Jack's interest.

Sue shrugged, then raised a hand in a friendly wave towards Jack. He did the same as she sat down, releasing Levi from his leash. Instead of laying down, the golden retriever walked towards Jack who gave him a firm rub down.

Sue watched the dog with a smile then looked back to Lucy who was standing over her desk. "I don't know. I'm not really interested."

"Oh come on. Jack could be your date."

Jack's head snapped up towards Lucy in surprise. Sue silently shook her head, forbidding Lucy from continuing. "What?" Jack asked.

Lucy stepped forward. "Sue has to go on an undercover to a fancy restaurant. But, she doesn't want to go - alone."

Sue stood up and pushed past Lucy, but still in a gentle manner. "No, that's fine. Jack, don't worry about it.."

"No, no, that sounds.. fun." He met Sue's eyes then smiled and looked back down when Levi placed his paw on Jack's thigh. Sue caught the movement and looked down, smiling. "Is it just me or is he being alot nicer lately?"

"To you maybe," The bostinian agent said upon his arrival into the pen. All eyes turned to him as he stopped near them, pointing to the dog. "That beast decided that it would be fun to drink out of my coffee cup which, by the way, was full of coffee."

Sue's hands flew to her mouth when she read his lips. "Oh, Myles, I am so sorry."

When Bobby stood, she moved her attention to him. "Don't be, Sheila." He said, draping an arm over Myles who watched him with a warning flashing through his eyes. "It wasn't Levi's fault that he found the coffee. Nope, Myles had it sitting on the floor.."

"It was on the floor?" Sue asked, a smile quickly forming on her lips.

Myles shrugged Bobby's arm off of his shoulder and straightened, adjusting his tie. "I.. I forgot I had put it there."

When Bobby made the noise of a 'wrong answer' buzzer, Myles jumped to his side. Bobby smiled, then said, "Wrong again, Mate. Instead, Myles wasn't so sure he liked the taste of the new coffee so when our lovely Tara wasn't looking, he set it on the floor. Levi wondered over, when Myles called him," He said, emphazing the words as Sue watched him intently. Jack broke into laughter as Bobby finished with, "and that is how this terrible tale of a dog gone bad ends."

Lucy chuckled then turned to Sue. "I'm not sure which is worse, having a case, or being without. Because, when we're without," She motioned towards the men who were watching the girls. "this happens."

The two chuckled as they turned and walked back to their desks but Levi stayed by Jack.

So what is this about ?

I like it that your filling us in on what happened in the past to bring us up-to-date. So, she ultimately decides to go it alone?

So like Myles to bait Levi and then put the blame on the poor dog. And once again, Bobby to the rescue to set the record straight.



Lynn

I love the bullpen banter. That was so funny.

I loved the way you described this. I could see Myles when I read this.
What would they do without Bobby? He's just so funny, and you're doing a wonderful job of writing his character, as well as the others.
As great as it is when they have a case, I love these "too much time on their hands" moments.

Can't wait for Jack and Sue's date.

I'm loving this so far

I can't wait for more!!

Em

that is really low, myles

i'm glad bobby was there to defend levis' honour

sue, a word of advice, take jack to dinner with you, it can be yet another non-date date

jack, don't let anything stop you from being there

cath

There's more to the story, right? I mean, Jack can't be so upset just because Sue decided to go alone... maybe the case is more serious than both Sue and Jack anticipated...

Loved the banter!

Ornella

I hope you all enjoy and thankyou so much for your comments!

"Alright, boys and girls," Tara said, walking into the bullpen and stopping directly at her desk where she sat down and pulled her chair towards the desk. All eyes turned to hers, including Sue's after Tara's wave. "We've got some interesting news." She said, her eyes on her computer as she pushed a floppy disk into it. She glanced up, making sure Sue was watching, then continued. "A body was just found at a house in the suburbs. Female, mid 30's, single mom."

An image flashed on the screen and everyone looked in that direction. The image was of the woman Tara had just spoken about.

"Any suspects?" Bobby asked, standing from his seat and walking towards the screen.

Tara shrugged as she stood. "Nothing yet. They just found her about 2 hours ago." She handed out a few pieces of paper to each agent, including Sue, and as she walked, she said, "The oddest thing about the victim is that she had a note attached to her shirt."

"Why is that odd?" Sue asked, glancing from the paper to Tara.

"Because," She said, stopping in front of Sue's desk. "It wasn't like any ordinary note. It had a piece from a board game attached to it. As you can see from the paper, it is a small knife." Tara said, walking back to her desk, keeping her face turned back so Sue could read her.

"This is a ransom note." Jack commented, seeing the picture on the paper he held.

"True." Tara said, sitting back down in her quick manner. "But, if you go to the next page, there is a second note attached."

Everyone flipped to the next page. "I don't get it." Bobby said, putting the papers onto the nearest desk, Jack's.

Tara shrugged. "I don't know what it means yet, either."

Sue looked up from her paper, unknowing to what had just been said. "I don't get it."

Tara smiled. "Neither do we."

Sue glanced up towards Jack who was intently studying the picture. "Miss Scarlett?" Jack asked, looking up to Tara.

"I don't know. I'm running a check on where Marie Scarlett worked to see if she had any.."

"Wait a second," Myles said, standing and stopping all conversations. He looked from the paper's he held to the screen which was still occupied with Marie Scarlett's image. "Tara, can you get a list of names for the board game 'Clue'?"

Tara nodded. "Sure."

"Why?" Jack asked.

Myles shrugged. "Just a hunch."

Tara nodded, then said, "Okay, what do you want to know."

"What is the name of the woman wearing red?"

"Miss.. Scarlett."

Myles nodded, looking from Tara to the screen. "Marie Scarlett is wearing red."

Woah weird...that was one of my fav. games as a kid...so they know they will have 6 victims total...

Wonderful idea! You're a genius! I love this board game! So... Miss Scarlett has been killed with a knife...but... where? In the study? In the kitchen? In the ballroom?
Way to go, Myles!

Ornella

Wow Tracy, you've got a great mystery going here. What a creative idea!

This was great and something that must happen quite often. I know it happens in my own family often and we can all hear (we just don't pay enough attention sometimes )

I love when pieces start to fall together for the team. I know there must still be a long way to go since this is the beginning of the story, but they've at least got an idea of what they're dealing with.

just caught up on 2 fantastic post
loved the board game plot more soon tracy please Lin

great catch by myles, i love that game here in britain we call it Cluedo

cath

Wow, Tracy, this is really brilliant! I love how you tied the game into it. I loved it when I was a kid and I still love it! Is there going to be a Mr. Boddy too? I can't wait to see where you go with this and why Sue and Jack were arguing about her going undercover. I don't think it was about her going to the restaurant alone anymore. I think it has to do with something else.

Jack, Bobby, and Myles walked out of the house and onto the front porch where Sue stood with Levi by her side.

"What did you find?" She asked upon their arrival.

Myles, who stripped off the white gloves that covered his hands, said, "Well, For once, being right just doesn't feel so good."

Sue nodded and scrunched her mouth to one side. Jack held back a smile - something he always wanted to do when she did that. "Were you right about the game?"

Bobby nodded, answering Sue's question. "He sure was. She was in the kitchen so we can take the knife, Miss Scarlett, and the kitchen off our list."

Jack looked at him and said, "I didn't know we had a list."

"Well, now we do."



"Okay," Tara said, walking to everyone in the bullpen and handing out more papers.

"What is this?" Jack asked, taking a paper.

"The list we have going now."

"You have the three items off already?"

Tara nodded. "Sure do." After giving out all the papers, she went back to her desk and read from her computer. "We still have 5 victims left: Professor Plum, Mrs. Peacock, Colonel Mustard, Mrs. White, and Mr. Green."

"What about weapons?" Sue asked, watching Tara intently as she nodded, her head down and her lips out of site.

"The knife, which we've already got, a wrench, a rope, a lead pipe, a candlestick, and a revolver."

"Okay," Jack stood, catching Sue's attention as he said, "We know that she was killed in the kitchen. But, isn't it true that there are more then 6 rooms in the game?"

Tara nodded again. "Yes, so there's really no way of narrowing it down. At least we know what we're looking for."

Jack glanced down to the paper in his hand and said, "Well, from what I can see, there are three rooms that most people in D.C. don't have."

"What's that?" Bobby asked, looking from the paper to Jack, who was now standing at the end of his desk.

"The ball room, a conservatory, and the billiards room."

"Actually, that's not true." Tara said. "I have a friend who made their basement into a billiards room. Actually, its just a pool table in the middle of the room with some chair around it but never the less, they call it a billiards room."

Jack smiled at Tara's familiar actions and sayings. "Okay, well that still narrows two down. It would be unusual to find houses with any of those. Especially a ball room."

"How about you and Miss Thomas take a joy ride and see if you can find out?" Bobby asked, draping an arm over Jack's shoulder. Jack glanced up, rolling his eyes.

"What did he say?" Sue asked, looking from both of them. "You're mouth was hidden." She said as the two looked at her.

Bobby gave a pat to Jack's shoulder then walked back to his desk, sitting onto the chair. Jack looked back to Sue and said, "Wanna go for a drive?"

"Where to?"

"We gotta see if there are any places with some certain rooms from the game."

Sue smiled, stood, and gathered Levi's things, then said, "Sure."

Excellent post....I love how creative this story is.

Yep, they sure do.
That's so Tara.
Now that sounds like it could be fun. Good suggestion Bobby!

More soon please

Tracy, this is marvelous. So no Mr. Boddy, huh? Just thought I'd ask... Sad thing is that this kind of makes me want to watch the movie. Hehe....

"Who are you?"
"I'm Wadsworth, sir. I'm the butler."
"And what exactly do you do?"
"I buttle."

Shoot, now you've got me on a kick.

Anywho, I really think they're going to find a ballroom with a very important function going on. Something like that would certainly draw attention for this killer.

Tracy, I just caught up and I love this!! Clue has always been one of my favorite board games, not to mention the movie, which is hilarious!!!

I can't wait to see where you lead us with this!! It's not going to be easy for the team to pin down the rooms, etc.!! I know, though, that you are going to take us on a delightful ride!!!

Joy

Your idea is so cool! Can't wait for more!

Tracy - this is so good! I love the game Clue!!!!

More please!

Em

This will be quite a wild ride with your story, but I like it!

Interesting Idea! I love the game Clue. This sould prove to be an interesting case for the team!

Melissa

I have just found this story, and it is great I love the game Clue.

Can't wait for more

Despite the fact that I hated that game, its a good story, an interesting way to play it though. It really suits the challenge. You got that going. I wonder what it would look like if the game were crocodile dentist? hehe! Everyone! Lets all pull out Myles' teeth and see who he bites! Ha ha!

"What did you find?" Lucy asked as Jack, Sue, and Levi walked into the bullpen.

"Nothing much." Sue said, shrugging in a tired manner as she walked, Lucy joining her to Sue's desk.

Jack went to his, shrugged off his coat, and said, "The only places we could find that would even come close to having either a conservatory or a ball room was in a gated community." He sat down, rubbing his eyes. "It's no use. We just will not know who this person's going to hit next."

Sue suddenly straightened in her seat. "What if we searched for all the people in D.C. with the last name of the remaining suspects. Or in this case, victims."

Jack shrugged, looking from Lucy to Sue. "That could work. I'll see if Tara can do that. Chances are there won't be many people with the last names Peacock or Mustard." Sue chuckled as he continued with, "Where is she anyways?" He asked, looking to Lucy.

"She and Bobby went out to lunch. Said they had business to discuss."

Jack nodded then looked back to his desk.

Meanwhile, Lucy turned to Sue, her back to Jack. "How was it?" She signed, hoping Jack couldn't see her hands.

"How was what?" Sue responded, a confused expression crossing her face.

"You know, the drive."

Instead of signing back, Sue waved it off with a smile.

Lucy shrugged and walked back to her desk. Just then, Myles and Dimitrius walked in.

"What did you get?" Jack asked, looking up as the two agents walked to the white board which had just recently been set up.

"We got the game." Myles said, showing the bag he held.

D followed and said, "Yeah, not only do we have the board game, but we have the computer game, the movie, and extra pieces. Oh, and did I mention that the board game was platinum edition?"

Jack hid a chuckle as Myles opened the bag, taking everything out carefully and placing it on Bobby's desk, which was the closest one. "Only the best." He said with a shrug.

Jack stood, shaking his head then walked to D's side who stood, observing as Myles opened the box. "Oh, the smell of a newly opened board game." He said, taking a deep intake of breath.

Jack shared an eyebrow peeked look then glanced back to Myles. Jack stepped forward, and after finding a marker, he wrote, "Suspects", "Weapons", and "Rooms". Myles then began taping all the playing cards under the appropriate labels.

Sue stood from her seat and walked to the edge of Jack's desk. After all the cards were placed, Myles took a step back and sighed. "You've gotta wonder how sick a person is to turn a harmless child's game into a murder mystery."

Everyone nodded but further comments were halted when Lucy stood from her desk, saying, "Jack, Metro P.D. on line 1."

Jack nodded, turned back to his desk and after taking a deep breath, he picked up the phone. "Jack Hudson." He stopped, rolling his eyes in a disgusted manner. "Thankyou." He finished, taking the phone from his ear and placing it back onto the base.

"What's wrong?" Sue asked, seeing his expression.

"Well, we can cross Mrs. White off. A Mrs. Angela White was just found dead at her home."

that was quick

cath

I can picture it.

Uh oh! Another victim. I hope they get some leads soon.

More soon please

This is wonderful! The story has an easy flow to it, much like the show did. Great job!

Kim

This is really intruiging.... Great idea!

I was a gigantic clue fan when i was a kid....so this should be fun!

xoxox ella

This is getting kind of eerie

I suppose we should be thankful that they aren't using the clue Mysteries game. That has I think twelve suspects... well, in this case it would be victims, wouldn't it?

So clever.

Just so everyone knows, I don't know much about Clue.. at all. All I know is how to play the games. I have the board game, which I haven't played in years, and the computer game which I also haven't played in years. But now, I've got my white board out with all the cards on it just like the story. This is just a short one, but once again, vital to the story. Thankyou so much for the wonderful comments!!





Bobby and Tara arrived back to the bullpen just after Jack told the other agents the latest news. They stopped when they entered and looked around, aware of the feeling of defeat in the room.

"What's wrong?" Tara asked.

Jack rubbed a hand over his face. "Mrs. White was just killed."

"Oh no." Both Bobby and Tara said at the same time. They seperated, both heading to their desks without a second word.

Sue stood, unaware of the other agent's presence, looking at the board. All the playing cards were up and all she wanted to know was who was doing this.

"Sue?" Jack asked, placing a hand on her shoulder. She looked back. "You okay?" He signed, seeing her saddened features.

She shrugged. "You?" She signed back, already knowing the answer. He, too, shrugged. "You should ask Tara to look up the names when she comes back."

"They just got back."

Sue turned and after seeing Tara at her desk, smiled. "You could have told me." She said with a wink then walked back to her desk where she sat down, releasing a sigh.

Jack smiled, his eyebrow raised. He then walked to Tara's desk with a paper filled with all of the 'suspects' from the game. "Tara, could you run a check on all these last names in the D.C. area? We need to know how many victims for each name we have left."

Tara nodded. "Sure thing." She took the paper from him and began to type into her computer.

Jack gave a half hearted smile then walked back to his desk, sitting down hard onto his chair. He looked up to the board, his eyes dark with thought.

Sue looked up from her computer and saw him. She saw how the tip of his hair was ruffled, probably from everytime he ran a hand through it. She gave a weak smile as she remembered how he had looked when he left Miss Scarlett's house. So defeated - yet so cute. She chastised herself for thinking of him in that way - especially in this situation. But she couldn't stop. Her heart ached for him. It ached for him to be with her. The whole time as they drove down every residential street they could fine, she would smell his scent. She wasn't sure if it was his cologne or if it was just him but she loved it.

She loved him.

Well this case is getting interesting and the love dynamics are perfect!

I totally agree. You're doing a wonderful job with the case Tracy. Your characters are very "in character".



Yep, that's Jack.
So defeated - yet so cute.
So focused - yet so cute.
So pleased - yet so cute.
So angry - yet so cute.


I could be here all day....so you get the picture. Haha.

Also, Cindy, don't forget the most important one:

So cute - yet so cute.

Can't leave that one out.

I love this case, though, I haven't played the original board game in years.

Oh yeah! So cute - yet so cute! I agree with Linny - you can't leave that one out

I'm loving this Tracy!!!

Em

I'm loving this story, Tracy!
And I'm with Cindy and Linny...

Ornella

"Jack, I've got the list of names. Do you want me to put it up?" Tara asked, looking over her computer screen to the dark haired agent.

He looked up from the folder he was reading and nodded. He quickly closed it and set it on his desk.

Tara nodded, then clicked the button which brought the screen to life.

Jack, stood, making it so he had a better view. Sue saw him stand and followed his gaze. "Are these the people with the same last names as the remaining victims?"

Tara nodded again. "Sure are." She stood, walking to where they were, then pointing to the pictures and names on the screen. "There are only 6 people in D.C. with the last name Mustard. Albert Mustard. Age 32, married, lives near the patomic. Sarah Mustard. Age 30, married to Albert. They have 2 children but my guess is whoever this is won't target them." Jack exchanged a glance with Sue then looked back to the screen. Bobby, who had been watching from a distance, stood and walked Jack's side."This," Tara quickly pointed to the next image and name. "is Ryan Mustard. Age 18, single, lives with his parents who do not have the same last name."

"What?" Bobby asked, snapping Tara out of her speech. "Why does he have a different last name?"

"His mother, Alexis Short, was married before her current husband. She had Ryan with her first husband and Ryan took his name. Don't ask me why." She shrugged with a smile.

"Does that mean his father is still around with the same last name?"

Tara shook her head. "Nope. He died in a car crash 4 years ago." She shrugged again. "Anyways," She turned back to the screen. "That leaves Toney and Richard. Identical twins brothers. Both in a nursing home. My guess is that they aren't going to be the next victims on our killers list."

Jack nodded. "Okay, what next?" He asked, shifting his position. Sue glanced from him, back to Tara.

"Believe it or not, I couldn't find anyone with the last name Peacock in D.C.. I could only find 6 people in the entire world."

"You gotta wonder how hard school was for them." Bobby said, elbowing Jack gently, who chuckled.

"So, leaving that one blank, me move onto Professor Plum."

"My favourite." Bobby said, earning a sudden laugh from Jack which ended in Jack clearing his throat.

Tara watched the two, giving Sue a smile, then looked back to the board. "There are only 2 people in D.C. with the last name Plum." Jack and Bobby stopped their chuckling and stood, watching Tara's every move as she pointed to the two pictures. "Carolyn Plum and Grady Plum. Both just moved here from Arizona last year."

Jack and Bobby nodded, turning to Sue as she said, "Both the people he's killed so far have been woman - mother's to be more exact."

Jack shrugged, almost dissmissively. "That's not really unusual."

Sue, not willing to give up on her notion, turned to Tara and asked, "Are any of the woman you have up here mothers?"

Tara nodded. "Sarah Mustard, two kids, and Carolyn Plum, just had her first child."

"Sue, it's almost impossible that our killer would single out mother's out of the group of names. Never the less, it's worth checking out."

Something else Sue loved about Jack. Even when he thought her idea might not be reasonable, he would back her up. It seemed funny to her that she was making a list about him, but she shrugged it off as just being her admiration for him. Even though she knew that wasn't the half of it.

Peacock...how are we going to find one of those